After winning an award for Zero Calling, the MediaCorp actor returns eagerly to season two Actor Pierre Png has been looking forward to returning to Zero Calling's set more than any other show in his 19-year career.

Not only does he like the script, which he describes as "witty" and "different from the usual Channel 5" shows, his role as the hapless main character David Tan - the target of blackmail - also won him a Best Actor In A Leading Role award at the Asian TV Awards last year.

"This season will be much more action-packed than before," says Png, 41. "On a scale of one to 10 on the action level, it will be a 10 for sure."

While he also won a Best Actor award for his role as the villainous Hei Long in MediaCorp's Channel 8 blockbuster The Journey: A Voyage last year, English is clearly his preferred language, as he believes he can converse better in that language and contribute more on the set.

Season one of Zero Calling tells the story of an ordinary man, David, who is blackmailed into committing crimes by an anonymous caller known only as Zero.

The season notched up viewer ratings of 685,000, it was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Asian Television Awards and won a Silver Remi Award for Best TV Miniseries at WorldFest Houston last Sunday.

The second season, which premieres tonight, delves deeper into the mystery as David discovers not just one person, but also a whole organisation known as the Zero Legion, led by the mastermind Zero One.

"What's different with season two is that every episode will be contained," says Png. "So even if you miss an episode or two, you can still catch up with the storyline."

Reprising her role as David's stepdaughter Maddy is Hayley Woo, who describes her role as being more involved this season.

"I'm usually more comfortable speaking in Chinese, so acting in an English drama was tough at the start," says Woo, 23.

"Pierre encouraged me by sharing his own challenges getting used to speaking in Mandarin on Channel 8 and giving me tips to focus better on set."

She adds that playing the role of a stepdaughter drifting further from her parents is challenging for someone who in reality is very close to her family.

While the two play stepfatherstepdaughter roles in the show, they could conceivably be cast as lovers or even husband and wife based on their looks and Png's track record of being paired with younger women on Channel 8 dramas.

The duo laughed it off, saying that such a pairing would be "very awkward" for both sides.

If Png's youthful appearance does not betray their 18-year age gap, the giveaway is their different attitudes towards social media.

Despite having Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, Png is not active on social media and has only 1,836 Twitter followers and 40,200 Instagram followers.

In contrast, Woo has two Facebook accounts, 15,000 followers on Twitter, more than 83,200 Instagram followers and her own website.

She says that the higher public profile from Zero Calling, however, has made her more careful about the information she posts online, such as when tagging her locations on Instagram.

Png has been married to television host Andrea De Cruz for 12 years.

While the couple have no children, he says he does not pass judgment on parents in difficult situations, such as his on-screen character who is estranged from his stepdaughter.

"After playing a character like David for two seasons, I feel that everyone has a back story," says the actor.

"Every family will have their own challenges. It's no one's place to correct these situations because that's a journey they need to take on their own."﻿

Actor Pierre Png has been looking forward to returning to Zero Calling's set more than any other show in his 19-year career.Not only does he like the script, which he describes as "witty" and "different from the usual Channel 5" shows, his role as the hapless main character David Tan - the target of blackmail - also won him a Best Actor In A Leading Role award at the Asian TV Awards last year."This season will be much more action-packed than before," says Png, 41. "On a scale of one to 10 on the action level, it will be a 10 for sure."While he also won a Best Actor award for his role as the villainous Hei Long in MediaCorp's Channel 8 blockbuster The Journey: A Voyage last year, English is clearly his preferred language, as he believes he can converse better in that language and contribute more on the set.

Season one of Zero Calling tells the story of an ordinary man, David, who is blackmailed into committing crimes by an anonymous caller known only as Zero.The season notched up viewer ratings of 685,000, it was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Asian Television Awards and won a Silver Remi Award for Best TV Miniseries at WorldFest Houston last Sunday.The second season, which premieres tonight, delves deeper into the mystery as David discovers not just one person, but also a whole organisation known as the Zero Legion, led by the mastermind Zero One."What's different with season two is that every episode will be contained," says Png. "So even if you miss an episode or two, you can still catch up with the storyline."Reprising her role as David's stepdaughter Maddy is Hayley Woo, who describes her role as being more involved this season."I'm usually more comfortable speaking in Chinese, so acting in an English drama was tough at the start," says Woo, 23."Pierre encouraged me by sharing his own challenges getting used to speaking in Mandarin on Channel 8 and giving me tips to focus better on set."She adds that playing the role of a stepdaughter drifting further from her parents is challenging for someone who in reality is very close to her family.While the two play stepfatherstepdaughter roles in the show, they could conceivably be cast as lovers or even husband and wife based on their looks and Png's track record of being paired with younger women on Channel 8 dramas.The duo laughed it off, saying that such a pairing would be "very awkward" for both sides.If Png's youthful appearance does not betray their 18-year age gap, the giveaway is their different attitudes towards social media.Despite having Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, Png is not active on social media and has only 1,836 Twitter followers and 40,200 Instagram followers.In contrast, Woo has two Facebook accounts, 15,000 followers on Twitter, more than 83,200 Instagram followers and her own website.She says that the higher public profile from Zero Calling, however, has made her more careful about the information she posts online, such as when tagging her locations on Instagram.Png has been married to television host Andrea De Cruz for 12 years. While the couple have no children, he says he does not pass judgment on parents in difficult situations, such as his on-screen character who is estranged from his stepdaughter."After playing a character like David for two seasons, I feel that everyone has a back story," says the actor."Every family will have their own challenges. It's no one's place to correct these situations because that's a journey they need to take on their own."Zero Calling's second season premieres tonight on Channel 5 at 9.30pm.

- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/television/story/zero-pierre-png-20150427#sthash.7bpD8k0M.dpuf﻿

﻿The actor details his numerous action scenes in the thriller Zero Calling 2 and explains how his character, reluctant vigilante David Tan, has changed since the show's first season.By Han Wei Chou﻿

Pierre Png reprises his role as the reluctant vigilante David Tan in Zero Calling 2. (Photo: Channel 5)

﻿SINGAPORE: Actor Pierre Png revealed Tuesday (Apr 21) that he had a lot more action sequences in to upcoming the second season of Zero Calling. The drama won him a Best Actor in a Leading Role award at the Asian Television Awards last year.“The body count in Season 2 has skyrocketed! I got to do a whole lot more action scenes this season. I love doing all the action sequences! I have always been an ‘action man’. But, as the years go by, the injuries take longer to heal. There are a lot more battles … and a lot more injuries,” Png told Channel NewsAsia.

Pierre Png sporting 'bruises' on his face while shooting Zero Calling 2. Yet, not all his injuries were fake. (Photo: Pierre Png)

﻿“I got into a fight with one of the characters in the show. I received quite a few unintentional blows from him. One went straight to my thigh muscle. It was quite badly injured. You can ‘cheat’ as much as possible, but there will still be some shots where you have to show contact!”Zero Calling 2 picks up where the first season left off. Png’s character David Tan is forced to carry out the will of Zero, an enigmatic cyber-terrorist who has the power to hurt his family if he refuses.

﻿Tan eventually manages to break Zero’s hold on him and now seeks vengeance on Zero One, the leader of shadowy Zero Legion, of which Zero is a member, in Season 2.Tan later reluctantly agrees to work with Interpol and bring down the organisation. However, things get complicated when his own stepdaughter Maddy Wu (Hayley Woo) begins to walk down a dark path, and he gets a new boss, the ruthless Agent Fong (Janice Koh) who is willing to sacrifice anything – even him – to get the job done.

﻿“We see David going through a journey and becoming quite crazy in Season 1. In Season 2, his family is reunited for the moment. He wants to fight the Zero Legion, but he doesn’t want to be a vigilante, he doesn’t want to mete out justice on his own. He believes nobody is above the law. This time, he joins forces with Interpol and goes after members of the Zero Legion who ruined his life. Every character has grown and there will be more twists and turns this season!” explained Png.“I think it will be even more interesting than Season 1 because it is also episodic. We learnt from Season 1 that if you were to miss out a few episodes you won’t be able to catch up. If you miss out one in Season 2, you will probably still be able to understand what is going on, as every episode is self-contained, and there is a main story thread going through series.”

﻿Png revealed that working on Zero Calling 2 was interesting, albeit a little stressful at times. However, he got on "very well" with his co-stars, and the show’s director Lee Thean-jeen.“We get the script as he is writing it. A lot of times, it is almost as though Thean-jeen had painted himself into a corner (in terms of the show’s storyline), but he always comes up with something and it is amazing!” said Png.But he said production for Zero Calling 2 was like shooting the hit sitcom, in which he starred, Phua Chu Kang. "It is work, but didn’t feel like work. I kept thinking ‘Come on, why can’t we do it like Lord of the Rings and shoot like four seasons back to back!’”

Pierre Png said he hopes there will be more seasons of Zero Calling, and described working on Zero Calling 2 as a "very immersive experience". (Photo: Han Wei Chou)

﻿For now, Png will be spending his time getting ready for his next project, a Mandarin drama which marks his first collaboration with MediaCorp’s Malaysian production arm. He will be heading for Malaysia in May and will spend about four months there.But viewers will still be able to see him in action in Zero Calling 2, which airs every Monday from Apr 27, 9.30pm on Channel 5. Zero Calling 2 also stars Elizabeth Lee, Lawrence Wong, Shabir and Vanessa Vanderstraaten.

Zero Calling returns with its Asian Television Award-winning leading man

SINGAPORE — Zero Calling, the show that earned Pierre Png a Best Actor award at the Asian Television Awards last year, is returning for a second season. And its leading man couldn’t be happier about that. Not just because it’s on an English-language channel, but because he doesn’t really have to act — he’s just sort of being himself, Png revealed.“I’m pretty much myself when I play (the main character) David. The character is full of love and hatred at the same time. It’s borderline the real Pierre Png,” the 41-year-old said, with a wry smile.This season, David is jobless and destitute after being manipulated by the mysterious Zero (played by Lawrence Wong) into becoming a vigilante killer. His wife Julie (Cynthia Koh) and stepdaughter Maddy (Hayley Woo) have left him. Foiling his efforts to get his life back on track, Interpol agents (new cast members Janice Koh and Shabir) reel him back into the fight against the sinister and faceless Zero Legion, an online collective of people calling themselves Zero.When we caught up with Png just as filming was wrapping, we found him really enjoying the process. “These months that I’ve been on set, I’m as happy as a bird,” he said. “It’s good that I could relate to the character; that I could channel my inner frustrations or happiness into this character.”In what ways is he just being himself when he plays David? “The fortunate or unfortunate thing is, I’m very intense. I’m very passionate about a lot of the things I do or the things I get involved in. In this day and age, a lot of it has to be controlled. You can’t really go around being a vigilante and taking the law into your own hands. I can understand how a character like David could be very frustrated and feel very cooped up (about the fact) that justice is not done; the good people suffer and the bad people get away with murder.”He added, with a wink: “I think David’s a Scorpio.”And when was the last time he was tempted to exact vigilante justice on someone? “This is really silly but the other day, I saw someone throwing a cigarette butt out of his car window. He was driving in front of me. If the situation had presented itself — if we had both stopped at a traffic light side by side — I was going to go up to him, knock on his window and say, ‘Could you go back and pick it up?’”Co-star Lawrence Wong isn’t convinced that Png is all that intense, though. “No leh, he’s quite goofy! In between takes, he’s quite a joker. We play around with the props. And you know how Janice looks very stern? Janice is also quite goofy — but in a stern way,” he laughed.In any case, the show will certainly be intense. “You can expect a lot more fights, a lot more action, a lot more gore,” Png teased.

May Seah

Catch the second season of Zero Calling starting April 27, Mondays at 9.30pm on MediaCorp TV Channel 5.﻿﻿

It has been a good year for home-grown actor Pierre Png (above). After snagging the Star Award for Best Actor in April, he walked home with another Best Actor award on Thursday night, at the Asian TV Awards held at Marina Bay Sands. -- ST FILE PHOTO

﻿BY YIP WAI YEE & GWENDOLYN NG

It has been a good year for home-grown actor Pierre Png. After snagging the Star Award for Best Actor in April, he walked home with another Best Actor award on Thursday night, at the Asian TV Awards held at Marina Bay Sands.The boyishly handsome 41-year-old won the award for playing a man who is blackmailed into committing crime by an anonymous person on the Channel 5 drama Zero Calling.Holding the trophy in his hand, he said excitedly: "Anyone who says that it's okay to be just nominated and not win is lying. This is the best feeling ever. This is the best year ever."He was in fact a double nominee in the category as he was also up for the prize for his villainous turn in the Channel 8 period drama The Journey: A Voyage.Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/television/story/best-actor-award-pierre-png-asian-tv-awards-caps-his-best-year-ever-20141#sthash.AsGecy2d.dpuf﻿

﻿GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT, ESPECIALLY AT THE 2014 ASIAN TELEVISION AWARDS LAST NIGHTPhotos: Lee Wei LinVideos: Vina Chia and Teng Siew Eng

Every dog has its day. And this saying rings true for veteran actors Pierre Png, Irene Ang and Rayson Tan, who brought home top honours at the 2014 Asian Television Awards (ATA) held at Marina Bay Sands Expo Convention Hall yesterday.

With the exception of doe-eyed 7-year-old Malaysian actress Puteri Balqis Azizi, who gave her female seniors a run for their acting chops with her Best Actress win, as the youngest award winner thus far, some of her fellow award winners have waited a long time for this trophy to finally land in their hands – like Pierre, who’s last nomination was in 2009’s The Little Nyonya, and Irene, who has waited - and we quote direct - “a full zodiac cycle (of 12 years)” to finally win this award again, after her last run with Channel 5’s Phua Chu Kang.

As Pierre made his way to do a backstage interview with the media, his supportive fans clamoured around him exchanging congratulatory hugs and wishes. Amongst them, one shouted jubilantly, “It’s (referring to the award and role) what you wanted! What you wanted!”

Indeed. The Best Actor in a Leading Role award was “one of the many things that I want,” affirmed Pierre, when we finally spoke to the euphoric winner later, whose hands have turned all sweaty and clammy from the unexpected turn of events.

“This is definitely a plus, a confirmation of the things we (actors) believe in and that keeps us on track,” he added, calling the win his best and the biggest thing that happened to him – but with “more to come.”

For an actor who had difficulty transitioning from Channel 5 to Channel 8, scoring double nominations in the Best Actor category (for Ch5’sZero Calling and Ch8’s The Journey) is a big booster for Pierre. When xinmsn asked Pierre to share his personal take on why Zero Callingtriumphed over the latter, he chuckled, “I can’t give you an answer for that, but I can tell you for sure that I love both characters and gave my heart and soul [to the shows]!

“Why Zero Calling? Top of my head right now is maybe ‘cos I’m more fluent in the language?” he wisecracked.﻿

﻿The nominations for this year’s Asian Television Awards have been announced, and a number of our very own local thespians have done us proud by bagging mentions in the acting categories.

Another double contender, this time for Best Actor in a Leading Role, is Pierre Png, whose roles in Channel 8’s The Journey: A Voyage and Channel 5’s Zero Calling are both recognised. He was Highly Commended in last year’s Best Actor in a Supporting Role category for C.L.I.F. 2, but ultimately lost to Jeffrey. Pierre was at an audible loss for words when we spoke to him on the phone after he’d heard the good news. “To be nominated twice in the same category is something quite unheard of as far as I’m concerned! Maybe I think too lowly of myself,” he chuckled. But the real shocker, he said, was being nominated again for the role of the villainous Heilong in The Journey: A Voyage, which won him Best Actor at this year’s Star Awards. “[If I win], hopefully this time I’ll come up with a better thank you speech!” And since he has already triumphed in an acting category for The Journey: A Voyage, he hopes that this time, it will be Zero Calling that gets him up on stage – or at least, that was the “easiest answer” he gave when we asked. “Heilong already won for Channel 8, and now it’s time to win for Channel 5,” he said, confessing his shock for the umpteenth time. Taking his nominations – and previous wins – as an affirmation of his hard work and perseverance (“You know how proficient I am in Chinese right,” quipped Pierre, who’s more comfortable with speaking in English), he said a win would a “stamp of approval”, and a loss would just be another form of motivation to work harder (although, he joked that it would be difficult to go back after not even winning one of his two nominations).News Source: http://xin.msn.com/en-sg/entertainment/celebrity/pierre-png-jeffrey-xu-bag-double-nominations-at-asian-television-awards/ar-BBdsIq2

﻿OMGOMGOMG!!! YESYESYES!! What news can be better than this? @iampierrepng has been nominated for 19th Asian Television Awards 2014 #BestActor in a Leading Role for both #ZeroCalling and #TheJourneyAVoyage!! Let's all wish him best of luck to get the awards this year!